Scientists identify new therapeutic target for several aggressive cancers A protein in tumor cells could be targeted to treat some types of aggressive cancer including brain, blood, skin, and kidney, new research has shown. The scientists, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and Harvard University, have identified a protein that plays a key role in transforming normal tissue into cancer, as a possible target for drug development. Inhibiting this protein effectively destroys cancer cells in laboratory models, including in cell lines and mice, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The research, published today (4 August 2021) in Molecular Cell, provides strong evidence that developing drugs that block the RNA-modifying protein known as METTL1 could give people with aggressive brain, blood, skin, and kidney cancers new treatment options.